So what IS in the kitchen sink exactly???

Hey, folks. I'm back. For the most part been real busy, career path and personal alike. Ups and downs and around the corners...think you get the picture. A big focus of mine last and currently has (and IS) starting up my vegan, gluten-free artisan baking business lovingly called suecakes! My, how challenging - and rewarding - it has been along the way. But all good things are. At the moment, I am in conversation with a handful of businesses in the area about carrying my products. (keeping my fingers crossed) To keep up-to-date with those going-ons, please like my fb page (sorry non-fb'ers....universal web site is in the works).... And for more persuasion (needed????), how about some eye candy...

Lemon Poppy cakes! with Lemon Curd, topped with Fresh Raspberries and Lemon Zest

Irish Carbomb cakes! (pre-HOMEMADE Irish Creme Liquor Frosting). made with local Sexy Chaos RIS (yay Marshall Wharf Brewery ), filled with whiskey ganache, topped with said homemade Irish Creme Liquor Frosting. whoa good. and because everything comes in three's...

DAMN RIGHT THAT'S A DOUGHNUT!!! I believe this one was pumpkin with cinnamon icing. yup yup so yeah. been in the kitchen a lot, but unfortunately haven't made it to the kitchen sink as much as I'd like. TIL NOW!!!!!!! haha One more add-in....I've collaborated with some amazing folks to help host monthly tea parties in town. My wonderful friend Sarabelle () does the psychic readings, we provide a lovely atmosphere with organic teas of choice and refreshments (and yes, suecakes!). We had our first gathering a couple weeks ago which was a HUGE success, another coming up real soon. Sunday, February 17th to be exact. If you make you're way to Belfast and are interested in attending. hit me up! This upcoming party our awesomely talented friend, Mary, will be setting up for henna art (). To find out more about the tea parties, please frequent our page (again, sorry non-fb'ers)... Ok. gotta get on on. My intension was not to create a post of plugs, shout-outs, but eh....just take it. Back soon!!!! P.S. links are not working right (not even frickin' showing). need to tweek some things. fear not. will be repaired soon-ish. ;)

full moon rising...time for a soup

Nothing says an (almost) full moon like a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants soup. What does that mean exactly? You figure it out if you're so smart. And what does THAT mean exactly?!? I don't know.

moving on... (see....allowed to be weird tonight. hello, people. FULL MOON!)
Anyone that knows me...and/or can see a theme happening on this here blog knows that I have been borderline unnaturally obsessed with soups lately ("unnaturally" may be a smigg harsh...but we're just gonna roll with it). And you know...if THAT is my obsession, so be it....I'm thinking of 272 worse obsessions right now. I'm even writing them done just to prove my point later. Yes, soups. And how satisfying they are.

This one I made last night (and enjoyed just as much this night) was one of those "let's see what I got around the kitchen. and oh, hey! they actually go together" kind. Thee "oh my. totally forgot I threw that in the freezer" kind. I think you know what I'm talking about. if not...well........(insert witty comment here)

So. blah blah blah full moon. blah blah blah soup. Even inspired a friend to make a soup last night too. I just MENTIONED the words "I soaked and cooked some beans the night before" and "veggies"....he was sold pretty quickly. And then....dueling soups, made under the same beaming moon. I suppose it was kinda like dueling banjos. Actually, now that I think about it....not so much.

Moving on....


before the kale, seaweed, barley, and beans were added.

I'm really not going to do a fancypants ingredients lists and how-to's. 1) don't feel like it. plain and simple. 2) it's not that kind of soup. I mean OF COURSE there are various garnishes....I haven't gone completely crazy yet. Just...not dealing with rocket science here. Beans, veggies, barnacles....floating around in a watery tub. okay...that was a little weird. strike that, and don't even bother reversing it. What I MEANT to say is that... where in the Kitchen Sink, right?!?

These are the ingredients I used. Use 'em if you got 'em!!
half of a yellow onion
cauliflower
peas
potatoes
one sweet potato
garlic
kohl rabi
carrots
tomatillos
cucumber casserole filling (please don't ask. like I said...it's amazing what you find in the freezer. blended with the rest surprisingly well, thank you very much!)
1 frozen "miscellaneous" pepper (not bell, yet not a crazy hot one either)
1 link of Field Roast's Mexican Chipotle Sausage (vegan. and so amazing!)
home-cooked beans
seaweed
turmeric-enhanced barley
kale
basil
thyme
squirt of apple cider vinegar
Bragg's
potato and bean juice (meaning...somewhere in the middle of water and stock)
freshly ground black pepper

garnished with sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, and SRIARCHA!!
(those of you that don't know about Sriracha Cock Sauce...how dare you.)

and yeah. so....I was bragging about some after shots (or at least thinking about bragging). It seems that the blog device does not want to acknowledge the last set of images I imported onto the computer. They may appear at some point...they may not. Guess we'll see. Happy Full Moon!!

that's what I call throwing together a bit of magic

(luckily I was able to capture this one image before the battery in my camera was officially "exhausted")

Mondays are rough for me. Beginning of the work week, and to make matters worse, that particular day is 12 HOURS. yes. 12. hours. Needless to say, I'm a bit of a fried zombie by the time I get home. I really do try to plan ahead so dinner is not a crazy involved adventure Monday nights (you can guess why). However, just some Monday nights, I end up cursing myself while walking to the co-op for the deli special... aka, the easy way out.

Tonight was not one of those nights. I had made some sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, throw-it-together concoction the afternoon before. And honestly (and unfortunately) it didn't wow me. So after the infamous harsh day at the desk, I decided that tonight, I was going to be satisfied...with dinner, anyways. (please hold while I run for my Yogi Calming Tea with agave and coconut milk creamer. yup.)

"Bliss is a constant state of mind, undisturbed by gain or loss." Thanks, Yogi. I'll ponder that one.

So, anyway. While walking home through a gorgeous snow storm (seriously. zero sarcasm. no...I'm serious), I was trying to brainstorm on what my tastebuds wanted that was readily accessible (meaning, no co-op run), quick and yummy. Oh yes....falafel. Though I love me some made-from-scratch falafel action, the ready in 15 minutes boxed kind (which was already waiting for me in my pantry) is not that far behind.

I just so happened to have tahini ingredients. Oh and half of an eggplant, cauliflower, peas, artichokes, lemon juice and zest, capers, garlic (thanks roomie). I couldn't of planned it any better. way to go, Sue.

Sauteed up the veggies in coconut and olive oil. Added a bit of freshly mortared fennel and coriander seeds. I broiled the falafel (yes. i know. frying it IS the bomb. Believe me, I know.) and now to assembly: veggies, chiffonade fresh basil (whoo whoo...fancy pants), some falafel patties, tahini sauce, sesame seeds, and garnished with fresh pea tendrils. All I can say is wow. wow! A light, satisfying dish. buona notte.

who doesn't like a carnival?!?

Stuffed Carnival Squash with lentils, kale, balsamic vinegar, onions, brown rice, fresh local cranberries...wowed them all at the staff potluck! And aren't they the cutest things ever!!

and this is what I came up with

Just using up what I have....wanted to add some cabbage to a soup recently (remember the brothy noodley bit?!?) well, apparently the only cabbages grown in the area are MONSTROUS BEASTS!! seriously, I almost broke myself carrying that thing home. Needless to say, I had some leftovers.

So what do you do with a plethora of cabbage??? Make Asian Slaw, of course!


A very easy and mostly raw recipe. One thing is...man oh man, wish I had a mandolin for that job. Spent a lot of time cutting. oh well. We got some cabbage, carrots, apple in there, along with a marinade/dressing which consists of lime, scallion, Bragg's/tamari, and spices. I serve this dish (as you can see) with brown rice, fresh tofu (with a hint of sesame oil drizzled), and sesame seeds. very light and satisfying. chew chew chew!

I felt something needed to accompany the "salad" for those ultra-hungry moments. I figured just a simple pureed vegetable soup would do the trick. And what did I have around....oh yes, beets! I steamed a whole lot of beets...a parsnip also fell into the steamer...just happened to be hanging around the wrong crowd. Added minimal spices....good to go...or you're just made to believe that! Alright, not quite finished yet. I ended up adding a mystery cucumber casserole filling i had thrown in the freezer a while back. yes, that's right. A BEET AND CUCUMBER SOUP!

before you go all crazy leaving my blog, let me tell you, strangely and surprisingly good. Actually that's all I'm gonna say. talk amongst yourselves. good night!

it's all about the spacing

cold time, soupy time

A quick brothy, noodly, yummy soup I whipped up last night for my sick self.

8 tsp Better Than Bouillon Veggie Base
confetti of local veggies I had around (thanks New Beat Farm!), diced 'em up
carrots
rutabaga
onion
mushroom
cabbage
1/2 block local tofu, cubed
couple Tbs Maine seaweed
instant whole grain rice vermicelli
several Tbs of grated local ginger root (oh yes....local and delish)
sesame oil

Sauteed veggies (except mushrooms and cabbage) in large soup pot with coconut oil for several minutes. Add 16 cups of water and bring to a boil. Then add the veggie base. Amongst the boil and adding, get some separate water boiling in the kettle for the rice vermicelli. Soak it in a large bowl under boiling water for 4 minutes. Drop in the seaweed, mushrooms, cabbage. Let it all blend together for a couple minutes. Add the tofu, vermicelli, and ginger. Serve in a bowl with spoon and chopsticks. Add a drizzle of sesame oil for garnish. and enjoy!